Polana Serena Hotel

The Polana Serena Hotel stands on a Maputo avenue with views over the Indian Ocean, a position it has held since 1922. You stay in one of 153 rooms spread between the original colonial building and the newer Polana Mar wing, where some rooms have private balconies facing the bay. The hotel keeps a pool in the gardens, and the Maisha Spa offers massages and treatments in a space designed with Moroccan influences.

Dining options include Delagoa, serving French dishes with Mozambican ingredients, and Varanda, where buffets and à la carte meals come with garden views. The Aquarius bar by the pool serves sushi and cocktails. The original building’s rooms have wood furniture and high ceilings; the Polana Mar wing rooms have wooden floors and ethnic-inspired wallpaper.

The hotel sits between the Sommerschield and Polana neighborhoods, close enough to the city center for walks but with grounds large enough to feel separate. The gardens hold a chess set under a rubber tree, and the pool deck hosts film screenings on Wednesday evenings. The Presidential Suite on the first floor looks over the pool and ocean, with a dining room for ten and a kitchenette.

Maputo’s history is present in the hotel’s architecture and guest lists, which have included diplomats and heads of state. The city tours offered by the hotel cover its art deco buildings and suburbs, or you can take a sunset cruise on the bay.